Burning Rage - 5

Time passed, split between being protected by that same person. Her presence a constant. Multitudes of attempts, made to free myself from her constant vigil. Yet Atalante was stubborn, her vision even more so.

To the point…. That… that even my patience wore thin. She had taken to trying to reconcile. Bringing me meals, doing the chores that I could not physically do.

But it was in that… in that kindness that I pushed her away. I felt unworthy of that praise, of someone that would go so far to gain forgiveness for someone such as I. For such a wretched being.

To the point where I had no choice to yell at her… but was it truly her that I was yelling at? Was it she that had irritated me or was it myself…

I… I truly couldn't tell.

There was a reason why I avoided her. I think that it might be because I truly could not live with the failures of my person.

That I was not able to stop Atalante before she killed those I wished to save… or even that I was unable to do so to the multitude that came after.

And when another student came, saw me and how I healed the wounds of the various critters that came for my help. Drawn to my presence.

It was her that rallied Atalante to go and search for other students, all while she deciphered the clues. Trying oh so hard to do or learn something from the hidden clues.

And eventually she did find the purpose of the game, that being survival. It was quite obvious looking back. But now that we knew it was even easier to get people on our side.

No, it was more accurate to say on their side. For I wanted to go out and explore. Helping those that I could, curling up next to them. I craved to heal them, it was almost like an addiction.

But I was forced to sit still here. Not that it was bad as I was able to heal those that needed to be healed and there was even this cat that liked to sunbathe over my arms.

However… how the game had been deciphered, that truly intrigued me. I wanted to know how Galarna had done such a thing. I knew for a fact that it was something about the cube not truly being a cube. That the real message was something about a square or box… or something else.

But that was all circumstantial, heard from the whispers of the others. Who so desperately tried to garner my attention.

It made it quite easy to gather information, as little as it was.

And that was why I was stuck here, watching the grass roll and twist between my fingers. Fiddling with it and the scent that it gave to the world. Ignoring the presence behind my back.

Who stood meekly against the wind. Trying to gather my attention without truly bothering me. But when she found her way into my space, trying to tap on my shoulder I merely pouted, turning my head the other way.

I don't know why I had held such a grudge, or why I was taking it this far. But I just knew that I wanted to give her a hard time.

"Here… eat" She finally spoke, handing me bowl of some stew, created from the remains of the creatures they hunted.

I took the bowl in my hand, watching my reflection in the bowl, the way that it rippled throughout the almost clear liquid.

Then with a blink of my eyes, no longer was I able to see anything. Masked by the void and echoes of the souls that stood proudly in this clearing.

Walking about and creating wonders with every step.

I stood and downed the food, gulping it down no matter the taste. And only then did I tend to my duties once more.

Cooking another batch, one that actually tasted fine. Some may wonder why I didn't just do this from the get go and there was a reason for that. Being that Atalante wanted to make up for her mistake and had tried her hand at cooking.

I ate it no matter what, showing her that there was some sign of reconciliation. I didn't want to break her hopes no matter how mad I was at her.

But that begged the question. Why was I mad at her?

Was it the tortured souls that she had killed, stripped of salvation. Or was it the fact that I was forced to watch as they killed more and more of those tainted souls. Each of them coming back with grievous wounds that I healed.

Forced to watch them slaughter each other. Some with somber expressions and others with pure joy.

It was… It was…

…

"My answer is the same no matter how many times you may ask. No, the battlefield is no place for a man. Now sit and stay, I will be back, have dinner ready by then."

I nodded and set my gaze downcast. The fire I had felt so clearly before… that fire of confidence had faded, left only with the deepest of embers, cast idly into the scorching coal.

Try after try, day after day I was confined in this little hobble of a tent. Forced to tend to the needs of the others. And if it was only that then maybe I would have been fine… but… but there was something else.

It was like she was treating me as if I was already hers. Training me by lecturing about her favorite meals, about how she would like her stuff arranged, and all these other inane instances of knowledge.

That only her husband would need. And it truly angered me. I already had a wife… even if it was not officially set I knew that she was to be my one.

So for another… this Galarna to treat me as if I was already hers, it angered not only my conscience but the little part of me that I saved for Abigail. That little pride that had been poked and prodded.

Constantly